Meredith and Caleb Doster have been married since 2008 and together have eight amazing children. Except for John Conner (5), the rest of the children are girls – Cadence (14), Ellie (11), Selah (9), Jane (7), Lydia (4), Olive (2) and Leah (15 months).
This family of ten loves summertime in Auburn and chooses to spend most of their time outside, including at the park. The family also enjoys serving their community, alongside their church, Parkway Baptist.
The Dosters use 1 Corinthians 10:31 as a foundational verse for their family. They encourage their children to discover their talents and use their gifts to ultimately serve and glorify the Lord.
“In this season of motherhood, I am finding joy in returning to slower living with my children. We have taken up sourdough baking, learning to ferment and kombucha, small gardening in the backyard, and caring for our chickens,” shared Meredith. “I am cultivating a love of learning new things in the kitchen together that will hopefully outlast me into our lineage of grandchildren!”
When it comes to dinnertime at the Doster homestead, eating around the table together is important. Each family member also helps play a role in getting dinner prepared, set, and cleaned up.
“Dinner in our home is usually around our table. It’s a time when we try to facilitate conversation with our children, speak on Bible topics, and instill values into them. We want a culture of togetherness, and eating around the table does just that for us,” Meredith said. “Dinner together is a beautiful reminder to slow down and enjoy each other daily!”
Meredith decided to share her Spaghetti Casserole because it is a dish that stretches to feed several people. Not to mention it is cost-effective, easy to make ahead of time, and freezes well. She continued to share that a casserole is an easy option when blessing a family in bereavement or postpartum.
“This recipe was handed over to me from one of my best friends, Mary Smith. It was passed down to her from her mother-in-law. It has become a staple in our home, because as a large family, to find something everyone enjoys is a rarity,” Meredith explained. “All ages love it, and I believe, as moms, it’s a great service to our friends to share recipes that are working for kids of various ages! It builds community and we are all out here cooking for these kids daily! There is no need to reinvent the wheel if something works well.”
Spaghetti Casserole
Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground beef
- 24 oz jar of spaghetti sauce of your choice
- 8 oz small curd cottage cheese
- 8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
- 8 oz vermicelli or thin spaghetti noodles
- 8 oz sour cream
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Bring water to boil for noodles and cook according to package directions.
- While boiling/cooking noodles, brown ground beef (season to liking with salt/pepper) and drain beef fat.
- Once the noodles are complete, strain them and place in a mixing bowl with the sour cream. Stir to mix, and then place in the bottom of casserole dish as a smooth layer.
- Mix cooked beef, spaghetti sauce, cottage cheese, and about 3/4 of shredded mozzarella in a mixing bowl and layer on top of noodles.
- Top the casserole with the remaining shredded cheese and bake for 25 minutes. Let rest for 2-3 minutes before serving.
- Serving suggestions: side salad or other green and rolls! Makes one 9×13 dish, 12 servings.
Author: Staff
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